[amitwlele]

I find the work done on the stretch between Sadanand Hotel to Pashan exit on the bypass to be horrible. They have filled the craters with tar but it has not been levelled. So before we had craters and now we have bumps.

Did anyone else also have the same experience? This is more applicable to the right lane close to the divider.

[anilisanil]

Posted the same on the accidents thread as well!

Saw a red Indica in flames just opposite Praj. Lots of black smoke coming up while the owner was watching helplessly, I did not have a fire extinguisher in my car so did not stop. While the occupants are safe, the car does not seem to be stopping from burning itself out. Wonder what went wrong? Sorry no pics as I was the only one driving.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by anilisanil

Posted the same on the accidents thread as well!

It seemed to have been doused by the time I passed it just before 9 AM. The owner was on the phone, and possibly still without help there.
I mean, I just saw an open bonnet and the guy standing there. No smoke. Good that rubberneckers did not cause a jam there.

[Swanand Inamdar]

That indica probably seems to have been removed. No sign of the vehicle when I crossed that point (around 9:45).

Amit: I agree whole heartedly. Those bumps are annoying to say the least. God knows when would they learn to do the work properly.

[Monaro CV8]

Beware of the road works being carried out in Dahanukar Colony area.

The roads are getting concretized causing a ruckus.

If one would want to travel towards Mahatma Society Area, please use the other route, i.e. via Shivaji Statue, Yashwantrao Chavhan Natya Griha, etc.

[moralfibre]

I had gone to Bhosale Nagar day before yesterday and I was shocked to see that all the internal roads in the area are concretized. An absolute shocker since these are just internal roads under PMC purview and hadn't really gone bad. There are quite a lot of main roads in the city that are in a sorry state and a load of money is being spent on roads that are barely used by a handful of residents.

On further enquiries I figured that the area houses quite a few ministers.

[selfdrive]

^^moralfibre; it seems to be the most convenient way to use up the constituency budget. Build good roads near your own or your boss' houses. Ideally both.

By the way, there were serpentine queues at petrol pumps yesterday. I am sure it took at least 30 mins for tanking up. I dont quite understand how people can waste 30 - 40 minutes for saving 25 - 120 bucks (bike or car full tank savings based on 3 bucks a litre). Would it not be easier to save this much by shutting down at longer signals or traffic jams. Or perhaps just switching to cycling for short distances?
After all its a one time saving, isnt it?

[Swanand Inamdar]

@Moralfibre: Apart from the fact that the area houses many a ministers, it is very well known as to who owns/developed that area! Hence the (unnecessary) expenditure.

@Selfdrive: Very true indeed. Its just a one time saving, that too of a mere hundred bucks. Never really understood the mentality. One spends hours, waiting to refuel. Time is anyways wasted, alongwith fuel. Why bother?

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

By the way, there were serpentine queues at petrol pumps yesterday. I am sure it took at least 30 mins for tanking up. I dont quite understand how people can waste 30 - 40 minutes for saving 25 - 120 bucks (bike or car full tank savings based on 3 bucks a litre). Would it not be easier to save this much by shutting down at longer signals or traffic jams. Or perhaps just switching to cycling for short distances?
After all its a one time saving, isnt it?

Not just time Bala, they do waste "25-120" bucks of fuel in stopping and starting a car in long queues to reach the filling pump. Wonder whats the big deal in filling up a day in advance of a price rise. I don't believe there are any savings in doing so. At the same time, petrol pumps make a quick buck selling premium fuel on such occassions. After waiting in a long queue, you reach the pump only to find out that they only have premium fuel. Helplessly, they fill up premium petrol.

[selfdrive]

It reminded me of a usual tagline under a photo that I see in a Marathi newspaper: 'Amkya thikaani Punekaraani gardi keli hoti'
As a non native Marathi speaker, I find that tagline quite funny. Do Punekars like to crowd up or they just follow the crowd? I mean if there is an exhibition, is the objective to see the exhibition or to create gardi. After all who would like to create gardi for the heck of it? I tried to explain that to my wife who failed to see why it was funny or even worth a discussion. Am I taking the line too literally?

Anyway, yesterday evening on my way back home in usual Nal stop mess I saw a Zen Estilo with an active yellow/ amber flasher on the roof. No sound just the lights.
A few observations/ questions:
- no stickers denoting it was a 'shaasan' vehicle or belonged to a political party or to the cops/ army
- is there any poor (relatively speaking) political person who would have a zen estilo? arent they supposed to have imported/ expensive/ intimidating SUVs?
- the estilo was behind me till Rambag colony on Paud road. Not a whimper of a protest to overtake, he just followed me in traffic with the flasher on.
- something doesnt add up here. which other people are allowed to use that flasher?

Originally Posted by sajo

Please tell her shes not alone with that thought.

et tu brute?! I thought I would have some sympathies from bhpians

[sajo]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

It reminded me of a usual tagline under a photo that I see in a Marathi newspaper: 'Amkya thikaani Punekaraani gardi keli hoti'
As a non native Marathi speaker, I find that tagline quite funny. Do Punekars like to crowd up or they just follow the crowd? I mean if there is an exhibition, is the objective to see the exhibition or to create gardi. After all who would like to create gardi for the heck of it? I tried to explain that to my wife who failed to see why it was funny or even worth a discussion.

Please tell her shes not alone with that thought.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Anyway, yesterday evening on my way back home in usual Nal stop mess I saw a Zen Estilo with an active yellow/ amber flasher on the roof. No sound just the lights.
A few observations/ questions:
- no stickers denoting it was a 'shaasan' vehicle or belonged to a political party or to the cops/ army
- is there any political person who would have a zen estilo? arent they supposed to have imported/ expensive/ intimidating SUVs?
- the estilo was behind me till Rambag colony on Paud road. Not a whimper of a protest to overtake, he just followed me in traffic with the flasher on.
- something doesnt add up here. which other people are allowed to use that flasher?

An honest Government servant perhaps ?
As far as I know, people like Magistrates (all) , Commissioners (all) , judges (all) are allowed to use beacons on their vehicles.

But these days any person with the slightest amount of political clout (friend of the sub divisional assistant of the chief of the youth wing of a local arm of a regional political party etc) brazenly get beacons installed on their cars.

Heck, a guy I know in my office used to come in a Zen Estilo (Golden) with Ministry of Finance , Government of India written on it.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Ojas: IIRC, These people are allowed to use beacons ONLY when on duty. But of course, that rule is gladly neglected, when stuck in a traffic jam or the likes.
Not only that, if the Estillo didnt have "Maharashtra Shasan" or "Bharat Sarkar" written on it, it is highly likely that it was a private vehicle of the Government servant (I have purposely used servant here. After all, that is what they all are). Thus, an absolute violation of the rule to use the beacon.

@Bala: For once, you aint alone! I, being a native Marathi speaker, have the same doubts that you have .

[Swanand Inamdar]

Last evening, while heading back home, I was quite happy that HJW didnt see much traffic. Only to be stuck on the bypass for more than 45 mins. Reason? Road repair work being carried out near Sus Rd exit.
While its good that they are repairing the potholes, why cant they do that work in the noon time when traffic is relatively low?
Why does it have to be done in peak hours only?

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

@Bala: For once, you aint alone! I, being a native Marathi speaker, have the same doubts that you have .

Thanks Swanand! *sigh of relief

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

While its good that they are repairing the potholes, why cant they do that work in the noon time when traffic is relatively low?
Why does it have to be done in peak hours only?

If it really takes that long, I think it is ok to even do it during peak hours but with a little common sense. In the mornings they could work on the side from HJW in Pune direction and in the evenings they could work on the side from Pune towards HJW

[noopster]

The bypass exits are absolutely pathetic: every day I cross these and wonder how more casualties are not reported! For example:

• Baner Road exit heading South (towards Bangalore)- Someone in their infinite wisdom has located an octroi post right at the exit. Large lumbering trucks enter the bypass highway at this point as vehicles attempt to (rightfully) exit it. This requires the exiting vehicles to slow down drastically which puts them in huge danger of being rear-ended. Ridiculous!
• The Sus Road exit to the bypass heading North (towards Mumbai), i.e. right outside Pashankar Auto: the entire "exit" is usually blocked by people waiting for buses, tum-tums and miscellaneous other lift-seekers. Also it is a 2-way ramp meaning vehicles coming from the South also take reverse U-turns (legally) as one tries to merge. Also a number of vehicles come up the service lane (the road leading to BU Bhandari Merc showroom) and blindly take that ramp. To top it all, Pashankar customers park right at that exit, turn and come up the same ramp etc. which makes it a nightmare to navigate.
• The Sus Road exit heading South is barely any better. There is a used-car dealer just where the ramp starts and his cars are constantly exiting/entering, plus cars instead of turning onto the highway South cut across the ramp and take the right-side service lane (legality in question) towards some apartments/ a wedding hall that are located on that stretch.

Is the concept of clear exits totally lost on Punekars and Indians in general?